Hey. Another late night. Im going to spoil you guys but you deserve it. Just dont expect it to contine. We should be over 30,000 words now. Yay!
Chapter 13
As easy as his class had been between his free hour and lunch, he almost knew that he would end up wanting to tear his hair out in ancient ruins after lunch. That's all he had and except for him and Lily Evans no one knew what was happening. Everyone asked questions a first year ruins student could answer. The Hufflepuffs obviously. If it had been Ravenclaws he wouldn't have been on a lonely, competent island. Fucking Hufflepuffs who need extra lessons. He had refused to help any of them anymore than he had to to get through the class.
He just sat, done with the homework plus some, and stared out the window towards the grounds. He knew what he wanted to do after supper and his chat with Sirius. The lake looked inviting in the light and he'd be damned if he didn't want a little trouble right about now. It was the longest class of his life, a double period with idiots and an ample view of a welcoming lake.
The time while the unworthy peers worked on the class work of a foot of translations, he had completed a foot and a half and done his homework. The work had been a description of the similarities and differences between the ruin for fire and that for light. He not only wrote the assigned foot and a half ont hat topic, but branched into the clear theological differences between modern days and the days of these specific ruins as shown in the difference in symbolism. It was a well written piece and had been handed in early.
His skin itched with a feeling foreign to this time of the month. Moony wanted a fight. No, not just a fight. He wanted either a prank or a fight of the magnitude that could get the expelled. He wanted to tie the Giant Squid to the whomping willow and see what happened. He wanted to see if Mrs. Norris would bounce if thrown down the stairs. He wanted to compare the bounce of that vile cat with the bounce of her owner, the repugnant Mr. Filch. The caretaker had never been seen with a broom.
He felt the need to scream. He threw a wad of paper at a Hufflepuff, just to see if they would pick a fight or apologize for getting in the way of the toss. The poor bastard apologized. That's when Remus felt bad. He apologized for being reckless and rude. That's when Remus decided to help the stupid Hufflepuffs instead of stealing Sirius' job and getting them all expelled.
Once the class was over Remus did run. He knew it was supper time so he ran to the class that the other three had instead. It was divination, on the other side of the school. He just ran and leapt like a madman, feeling like his mind had snapped just a little bit. Halfway to divination, or about the point of the journey when he could smell the great food in the Great Hall he figured that they could make it on their own. He saved the seats in the customary places and ate as much as he could.
The hall was loud and he didn't hear the three enter until they sat down. Sirius sat down with his legs on different sides of the bench with his arms around Remus before he knew what happened to him. "I, I didn't mean it. Rem, don't hate me. I need you to say you don't hate me. If you don't hate me I'll be fine about you fucking Snivellus." Remus glared and Sirius realized what he had just said and tried to dig his way out of the massive whole he had fallen into. "I won't say a mean word when he's around and will try to cut back when he's not. I won't prank him and I'll buy him gifts at the holidays just like I buy you stuff. Remus, Moony, I'm so fucking sorry that I'll go over and sing an apology to him if it will mean you won't hate me anymore."
Remus had counted all of one breath through that entire thing. He just started laughing. He laughed so much his sides hurt. He laughed till tears slid down his cheeks and blurred the vision of the school around him. He laughed until he knew the whole school was staring. Sirius just sat quivering next to him, hoping and praying to all the magical powers and great wizards that Remus would say something, give any sign that this hatred would pass as a leave passes on the breeze. 'Dear Merlin, I need him to forgive me.'
Remus, still chuckling slightly with excess mirth, wrapped his arms around the boy in front of him. He tried to reassure even though he could gather no air to form thoughts, no thoughts to form words of comfort. Sirius' longer, stronger arms held his friend to him. He was so glad he could dance. He might.
Once Remus could breath he pulled back a little, not out of the grip but enough to see the face that had waxed so profusely on his need for forgiveness. "I can offer you know forgiveness." The whole hall held its breath. Not even hushed whispers echoed of the walls. Remus wouldn't forgive Sirius? That was preposterous. What would they be without Remus? The marauding, failing three?
"I can offer no forgiveness because none is needed." Many held breaths were let out, not in gusts but gails, carrying words on their current. "I was never mad, just hurt." this was said so that just the four of them in their close knit corner could hear over the raucous ramblings of adolescent wizards. "That fucking stunt this afternoon," Remus lowered his voice more so that none could here save Sirius. This didn't need to be worse for his pride than it was. James needn't see the fall of Sirius. "That was so uncalled for though that I may make you go sing apologies to Severus. It is Snape or Severus. He isn't Snivellus. Why would you say that while apologizing for being an ass?" Sirius wasn't worried for now though because he still hadn't pulled away completely.
"I will try really hard, dearest friend, but you must be patient. I am slow to learn and quick to insult. I will apologize Snape if it would make you happy." Sirius meant it. He would try as hard as was possible to be kind to the Slytherin. He would do anything he had to keep Remus talking to him. Today had been torture without him. He was like the brother he never had. Well, he had a brother so Remus was the brother he always wanted.
They broke the embrace by mutual consent so they could eat. Food, as difficult as emotions were for teens, was supreme to all but the most superb of pleasures. The food tasted as a feast, which it was. The company seemed like family, which for them all it was. James lived with his own, biological family, yet all of them considered this at least part, if not all of their family.
The hall was loud again, as it should be. It was incredible how fast the hall could change its object of interest. It was almost bipolar but none at that table minded being out of the spot light for now. The light shown on different people, as Dumbledore thought it should. No need to light one section, even if that section was at the same time both the worst and the best in the school. Smartest and rudest. Kindest and crudest. Outspoken and withdrawn. Study in the lunchroom and set fireworks on the lawn.
The table was quiet except for knives and forks on china until after the desserts disappeared. When Remus stood they all followed, hoping for homework help. "Hey guys," Remus began, "hurry with the homework I have a plan that's calling out to me." They all looked to him and decided this would be worth hurrying through the homework, if just to know of this plan he so wanted try. No one asked what it was, expecting something less than devious but hoping anyway.
Sirius and James finished before Peter, even with Remus helping only Peter with his work. Remus was, no surprise, already done with all of the work from classes for most of the week. Once Peter was done they all sat on the sofa, to close with all on the body so Sirius sat on the arm. The focus was on Remus. He had a plan and all bowed down to his supremacy when it came to planning, as long as the plans where meant to be loved. Plans for homework, no matter how productive and properly constructed, still sucked.
"I want to go skinny dipping once the sun goes down. Lets go now and I can gather the towels from the prefect bathroom because it has the better, bigger, beach towels. Come on guys." The marauders were into this plan. Everyone loved the concept and if Remus was going to support it they were invincible.
In front of the bath holding four of the most superb towels in the whole school they were all content until they realized they had to be able to sneak back in. It was light now so technically they could leave, but they weren't allowed in after dark. "We don't have the invisibility cloak. Should we get it?" James was trying to keep the plan alive as it died in both Sirius and Peter's eyes.
"We don't need it. I have a way to smuggle us back into the castle. Calm down. We wouldn't fit under the cloak together anyway." He sounded so calm that they had to believe him. He planned. Its what he did. If he had a plan they could go swimming and they would get back into the dorms unpunished.
The walk out of the school was uneventful. No one noticed and there were no teachers, as Remus had known there wouldn't be. The walk to the edge of the lake was, well, magical. They all were in awe as the saw the blood red sky and the glimmer of the lake. It was a picture perfect moment and they would soon mare the landscape with their bare flesh. It was a rush.
Remus lead them to hi clump of trees, hoping that no one had watched them walk to the shore line. "You guys can go in whenever you like. It is already too dark to be seen from the castle and to beautiful to not become a part of it." Remus stripped past his skivvies and walked to the edge. He had wanted to do this since the first night he had watched the setting sun from the special grove of trees now uniquely his own.
The waves lapped at his ankles, looking blood red as they parted to go around the thin thighs. He walked slowly, savoring the look when the lowest part his body visible was his flaccid cock. He stopped to fully absorb the look of his torso floating in this faux blood. He gave up then, relinquishing control to some deep instinct telling him to swim to the middle and see the castle from a blood red sea. When his head went under to begin to swim he was glad it was instinct propelling him because after the day he had had he relished the feeling of the surprisingly warm water around him.
Long powerful strokes pulled him as far as they would, and when he couldn't resist the temptation to look anymore he turned. His eyes first saw the highest tower, divination. They followed that line down to the main building, grand and grey, now painted in a pinkish haze. His eyes raked down the lawn, seeing the vast expanse that was open to all students. Then his eyes went to his grove where his friends had been but minuets before, now there was just a pile of clothes and the image of three figures cutting threw the water with varying speeds and a wide margin in the category of grace.
Sirius was the fastest and most graceful. He reached Remus first and couldn't contain his excitement. "This was beyond brilliant, even for you." The joy wouldn't be satisfied with words though, not with Sirius. He launched himself at the teenage werewolf and tried to push him and. When James reached them they were significantly into their wrestling match but welcomed the company with open arms, figuratively of course because open arms would mean a loss.
By the time poor, portly Peter arrived the fight was over, Sirius victoriously sing and all laying on their backs, loving the now dark night. The stars shone above, the only light that could be seen except for the occasional window with a candle on its sill. It had gone from a sun set romp to a leisurely nighttime swim, much more to Peter's taste anyway.
No words needed to be said to Sirius. Just a swim and the earlier few sentences seemed to be all that Remus needed to calm his nerves. Moony was happy to swim beneath this starry sky and look at the moon without fear.
Time seemed to stand still and yet fly by. Soon, and yet an eternity later, they were swimming back to the pebbled beach to dry and dress. It had been what they all needed. For the first time in months Peter seemed to belong and James, Sirius and Remus would say nothing or chance spoiling this positive change.
Once dried and dressed in their clothes the gang again fell in line behind Remus. He went to a secret door under a rock but his hollow of trees. He sent Peter and James in first. He was just about to follow, Sirius refused the idea of him going last, when he realized he didn't have the map. He had brought it in his pocket, to aid their homeward march once inside the castle.
"Siri, go on. I need to go look for the map." He saw the look in Sirius' eyes and let him say the inevitable words.
"I won't leave you outside alone." Remus put a hand on Sirius' shoulder and kissed him in the middle of his forehead, like he would with a little child. "I'll be back safe, Siri. Get those two misfits back and I'll see you there."
"Fine, but I'm not happy about this. Keep this prick safe Moony." Sirius had no other option and yet he had to force himself to leave Remus alone, outside in the night. It wasn't until he was already through the portrait on the other side that he remember the fucking Slytherins from last night. He ran to the dorms, dragging the other two with him. He needed to be there waiting. Remus would feel he didn't trust him if he went back for him, but he had to wait for his best friend and he had to be there if the got more unexpected, un wanted post.
Remus, like Sirius, didn't remember last night until it was too late. He returned to the place their clothes had rested, where he had rested so many times. The map was right there. It was hard to think he had missed it the first time around. When he bent to reach for it he felt a tingle down his spine and turned to see a hooded figure. Remus had had his wand drawn from the moment he left the rocky entrance and so this fell being was right to be scared. He cast a face tinting spell. It wouldn't harm whoever it was at all. It would however mean that they would be bright orange all of tomorrow and soon he would know who his stalker and would be attacker was.
He left the figure to do as it was wont. Only once he was into the tunnel did he start running and only once in the dorms did he stop. He looked out the window at the stars and he thought about the moon and the beauty of the setting sun.
I wrote. I'll continue to write. Review. Don't. I don't care. It seems that it is in your best interest to review, atleast if you wan tmore, cuz them I write more, but do whatever you feel. Much love.